Palak Puri Recipe

About this puri

Adding palak or spinach to the puri or chapati makes it even more nutritious, appetizing, and eye-catching. My kids love it when I add greens to the poori or paratha recipe. Serving them paired with aloo masala makes a powerful combination of fiber, protein, and carbs! That's a sumptuous meal!

Other options for pairings are soy chunks kurma, potato masala, potato kurma, or a tomato chutney depending on your preference. I usually go with a spicier rather than a sweet option for pairing.

Ingredient notes

A bowl is filled with wheat flour, and spinach puree for puri recipe

Wheat flour: Look for sealed bags of whole wheat for the best quality. Sometimes, it is a trial and error process to get the brand that gives you the best consistency.

Spinach leaves: I used organic spinach leaves for this recipe. You could also use non-organic leaves but be sure to wash and clean them before using them.

Spices: There are only three main spices you will need: Ginger, Cumin seeds, and Green chilies. These will be blended and mixed with the dough as you prepare it.

Oil for deep frying: I used corn oil but any type of cooking oil is good for this. Be sure not to use oil that had been used for deep frying before.

How to make this recipe

Blend the spinach, ginger, cumin seeds, and green chili with about ¼ cup of water, use more if needed and set it aside.

A bowl of wheat flour, and spices over the table

In a bowl, mix whole wheat flour, salt, and 2 tablespoon oil. After you get a homogenous mix, add the spinach paste to the flour mix and form it into a firm dough. Add more water if the dough appears too dry. Grease your palm and knead the dough for 1-2 minutes. Cover the dough and let it sit for 10 - 15 minutes.

Palak puri dough balls are on the plate with puri press

Divide the dough into small balls and flatten them gently. Lightly oil the surface you want to roll the puris and roll them into a six-inch round (approximately)

Frying puri using press over the counter top

Or use puri press - Grease the puri press on both sides and place the small dough balls in between and press gently. (check out the video in the recipe card below)

Heat at least one to two inches of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. To check if oil is ready, drop a small piece of dough into the oil. The dough should float to the top, without any change in color.

A laddle with fried puri over the stove top

Place one puri at a time in the frying pan and press it with a skimmer. The puris should puff up slowly. Turn the puri over to the other side. Continue to fry the other side until both sides turn light golden color.

Take the puris out and place them on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil. Repeat the process for remaining puris.

Recipe FAQ's

What does puri mean?

Puris are deep-fried bread made from unleavened whole-wheat flour. It has its origin in the Indian subcontinent and typically prepared as a breakfast option.

Is puri vegan?

Yes, puri is originally a vegan recipe, unless you add ghee to the dough.

Can we add different greens to puri?

Yes! Instead of spinach, you can add Kale, Red chard leaves, or Methi leaves, etc.

Expert tips

Blanching spinach is an option before blending it. This is a good option if you do not have organic spinach.

Adding raw and chopped spinach directly to the wheat flour without making it into a puree is another way of preparing this. Be sure to chop them really fine if you are doing it this way.

The spinach puree itself is usually enough to prepare the dough and you don’t need any water. If you still feel the dough is very dry, you can always sprinkle a little water and knead it to a soft but stiff dough.

Check the heat of frying oil before dropping the rolled piece of poori dough. Oil should be very hot for the puri to puff up immediately.

Flip the puris only once. Flipping it multiple times will make them absorb more oil.

Place the hot puris on a paper napkin, so that it will absorb the excess oil from puris.